prehistoric_lifefandomcom-20200213-history
Top 10 Marine Predators
by Cougarcat Note: This is a Top Ten List, the way the list is arranged is purely opinion. You may not agree with the way the list is organized, however if you made your own than other people would not necessarily agree with your opinion either. So opinion is honored on these lists. Do not duplicate lists, however you can go ahead and make your own about something else. Just remember, you aren't allowed to edit these because the creator may have different opinions than you. The largest and most powerful predators of all time lived in the Ocean. From sharks to whales, these predators have nearly unfathomable strength. The largest animal of all time, the Blue Whale, lived in the ocean. The sheer scale of these creatures is breathtaking. This is also where the first super predator came from. Therefore, a top 10 list has been assembled of the ten of these huge predators that stood out. There were many to choose from, and it really was tough, but this was what was picked on this website. It will begin with number ten, and go to what we believed to be the largest, most powerful, and most specialized of all of these predators... 10th- Tosoteuthis Tosoteuthis is on this list because of how powerful it would be. Huge squid are incredibly dangerous, however Tosoteuthis was like a Vampire Squid that was larger than a Giant Squid. Modern Vampire Squid are very small, nowhere near the size of a Giant Squid. The bite of Tosoteuthis may have been incredibly powerful, although not too much compared to some of the animals on this list, it would still probably be enough to kill most fish. Marlin are sometimes found chewed up by Giant Squid, however Vampire Squid are not large enough to do serious damage. It would be incredibly interesting to see what a huge Vampire Squid could do. Still, to date the only remaining material of Tosoteuthis is its mantle, so it won't get any higher on this list. ] ] ] 9th- Anomalocaris The first super predator is on this list because of the fact that it was first as well as its sheer specialization. For its time, it was the most advanced creature. Other Anomalocarids like Opabinia had extremely inventive traits such as 5 eyes. Their eyes were also extremely advanced. These early Super Predators were extremely significant, and we believe must be included on this top 10 list. ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] 8th- Basilosaurus Basilosaurus was a prehistoric whale that grew to about 60 feet long. Still, it probably only weighed around 10 tonnes at most. Basilosaurus had very little mass because of lack of thickness. Basilosaurus still had the hind legs of some more primitive whales like Ambulocetus, however these disappeared shortly. Basilosaurus' bite was probably not too strong, as its mouth was smaller and less robust than that of the Physeteroid whales. Basilosaurus lived during the Eocene period. ] ] ] ] 7th- Kronosaurus Kronosaurus was a type of Plesiosaur that lived in what is now the Outback as well as the Pacific Ocean. It was probably the largest Plesiosaur of all time, and it was incredibly powerful. It fed on other Plesiosaurs that lived near its Cretaceous home. It grew to an enormous 10 meters in length, and maybe up to 11 metric tonnes. It was the absolute Apex Predator of its region. It probably fed on other Plesiosaurs at the time. It may have also been cannibalistic, like many other predators. ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] 6th- Chubutensis Although C. Megalodon was the largest shark ever known, there were a few that got close in size. Carcharocles chubutensis was one of them. At 12 meters in length, it was about the size of a small Megalodon. These sharks weren't quite scaled up Great White Sharks. They were members of the genus Carcharocles, which is different than Carcharodon. They were more powerfully built pound for pound, meaning that if one was scaled down to the size of a Great White Shark, it would be stronger. These sharks also had larger, but more numerous teeth than the Carcharodonts. Despite their teeth being larger, they actually had more as well. However, the modern Greenland Shark has even more teeth than the members of the genus Carcharocles. It has around four times as many teeth as the Great White Shark. ] ] 5th- Mosasaurus Mosasaurus was the largest and most powerful Mosasaur. It was also the first named, being classified in 1822. This was two years before the first dinosaur, Megalosaurus. At around 15 tons, it was huge. Despite its size, it could deliver huge bursts of speed which would enable it to chase down anything. Therefore, Mosasaurus was without doubt the apex predator of its time and place. Although Basilosaurus was longer, Mosasaurus would be heavier and more powerful, enabling it to defeat the whale if they somehow met despite being around 30 million years apart. Mosasaurus ate pretty much anything. Turtles like Archelon as well as other marine reptiles like smaller Mosasaurs were probably on the menu. Plesiosaurs also made up its diet. Fish such as sharks as well as the huge predatory Xiphactinus may have been prey for the Mosasaurus. ] ] ] ] ] 4th- Tylosaurus Tylosaurus scores higher than its larger cousin for several reasons. Although Mosasaurus was larger, Tylosaurus would be more dangerous by far. It was faster, and scientists believe it could travel up to 40 miles per hour. At this speed, there was little that could escape it. Although it was also more lightly built, this was no disadvantage. In fact, Tylosaurus was incredibly agile, meaning that it could make maneuvers that would break Mosasaurus' back. For a prey item to escape Tylosaurus, there would be a much bigger struggle than escaping Mosasaurus. Tylosaurus was a Giga Mosasaur, and because of its immense specialization, it makes it to a respectable 4th place. Scientists also think that Tylosaurus was the last Mosasaur to die out at the end of the Cretaceous. The Mosasaurs were wiped out by the same extinction that ended the Dinosaurs. 3rd- Predator X Although Pliosaurus funkei was actually smaller than the initial estimate of 15 meters long, it was still very large. It was the absolute apex predator of the Jurassic Seas. It was also larger than the Mosasaurs, and could defeat Mosasaurus if they ever met. Pliosaurus' estimated weight is 20 tonnes, larger than Mosasaurus. Also, Mosasaurus did not have the agility of Pliosaurus, and was also built in a weaker way. For all these reasons, a fight between the Jurassic's top Marine Predator and the To p Marine Predator of the Cretaceous has a clear result. Pliosaurus was extremely powerful. It probably fed on everything from Plesiosaurs to smaller Pliosaurs. It is not inconceivable that Liopleurodon would have been on Predator X's menu. "Predator X" was just a temporary name given to the specimen before it received its current scientific name, Pliosaurus funkei. ] Number 1 In this case, there were two that scored equal. Often times, there will be two that have the same score, and usually the most extraordinary is selected to earn a higher place on the list. However, in this case the two were inseparable. These were the two largest and greatest Sea Monsters ever to swim the oceans of our planet. They were contemporaries of each other, and it may well be that they battled one another some times. Therefore, these two will both share the top spot on this list. 1st- C. Megalodon Out of all the Prehistoric Sharks, Carcharocles megalodon is by far the most famous. It was an apex predator, if there ever was one. It had the most powerful bite of any animal of all time. It was also extremely massive, large individuals reaching over 50 tonnes. At this size, C. megalodon could eat pretty much anything. Whales were probably the major part of C. megalodon's diet. Fossil evidence 100% confirms that C. megalodon was a whale killer. It appears to have slammed into the chest of a whale while the whale was taking in air. Some prehistoric whales have been found with signs of severe wounds to their bellies, as this was probably where the monster shark attacked. C. megalodon lived in a world of predatory Sperm Whales , however even these did not stand a chance against C. megalodon. Everything from Dugongs to Killer Whales were on the menu of the monster shark. And there is clear evidence suggesting that the winner in a fight between Predator X and C. megalodon would not end with Predator X on top. Predator X was huge, but C. megalodon was more than twice its size. Predator X had a powerful bite, but no where near as powerful as C. megalodon. Anyone in doubt of this needs only to type "Predator X vs. Megalodon" in on the internet. There is only one result out of pretty much every You Tube video on the subject: C. megalodon wins. Because of all these factors, C. Megalodon has to score this high on this list. 1st- Livyatan This massive Physeteroid whale was in all likelihood the largest and most powerful predator ever on the planet. It may have topped 60 tons. It fed on sharks that were up to 30 feet long. It lived during the Miocene period, the same time as C. Megalodon. It may have also fed on other whales and Cetaceans. C. megalodon and it may have also ate each other sometimes. There are reasons why they both made it to number 1. Most paleontologists think that the Livyatan would come out on top if the two fought, however this is not for sure. The whale did have a larger brain (being a whale) and was probably much more intelligent. Also, it may have been able to use sonar like modern sperm whales. Its teeth were larger, in fact they were the largest teeth ever used to eat (elephant tusks were larger, however these are not for eating). Back to the brain, Sperm Whales have a brain that weighs about 17 pounds, which is many times larger than the human brain. In fact, it is the largest brain in the animal kingdom. (although Orcas may be more intelligent because they have a much better brain to body size ratio as well as the second largest brain) However, C. Megalodon is not without its own advantages. It had a more powerful bite, and it also did not need to go to the surface periodically to breathe. Plus, it was probably much more agile than the huge bulky whale. In this case, a clear winner does not emerge because any fight would be too close. For these reasons, both animals scored number one on the list of the largest predators ever. Category:Predator Category:Paleozoic Category:Mesozoic Category:Cenozoic Category:Jurassic Category:Cretaceous Category:Water Category:Sea Monster Category:Chordata Category:Mosasaur Category:Mollusca Category:Arthropod Category:Top Ten Lists Category:Whale Category:Shark